Neglect or Abuse Can Affect Individuals in Assisted Living Facilities

 Posted on May 20, 2020 in Neglect

When an elderly or disabled person cannot safely live on his or her own, but his or her medical concerns are not substantial enough to necessitate nursing home care, an assisted living facility is often the right choice. Assisted living homes may have a health clinic and nursing staff, but helping residents with daily living tasks such as cleaning and cooking is typically the main focus. Residents in an assisted living facility often have a greater level of independence than those in a nursing home, but people in assisted living facilities may still suffer from mistreatment.

Types of Abuse Experienced by Residents in Assisted Living Homes

Although assisted living residents have some degree of self-sufficiency, they can still be victims of neglect and abuse. Neglect may involve negligent medication errors and skipped medication doses, inadequate assistance with daily living tasks, failure to provide residents with basic necessities, allowing unsanitary or unsafe conditions to exist in the facility, and more.

Assisted living abuse may involve several different types of abuse including:

• Mental or emotional abuse: Sadly, some assisted living staff may use intimidation, threats, or psychological manipulation to make residents comply. Abusive staff may even isolate residents from each other as a cruel “punishment.”
• Physical and sexual abuse: It is hard to imagine anyone ever physically abusing an elderly or disabled person, but physical abuse tragically occurs in both nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Residents who are slapped, pinched, hit, kicked, or sexually assaulted may be too afraid of retaliation to report the abuse.
• Financial abuse: Another form of abuse that assisted living residents may fall victim to is financial exploitation. Staff may steal residents’ money or property or use manipulative schemes to convince residents to give them money or property.

Holding Negligent Assisted Living Facilities Accountable

Many assisted living injury lawsuits are the result of negligence. An assisted living facility may be legally responsible for harm caused by the negligent or abusive actions of staff members. A facility may also be liable for violating the terms of resident contracts or for violating state or federal laws regulating assisted living facilities. If a resident’s death was caused by the negligent or intentionally harmful actions of an assisted living staff member, the surviving loved ones may bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility. Depending on the circumstances, an injured resident or the family of a deceased resident may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.

Contact a Chicago, Illinois Assisted Living Injury Lawyer

If you or someone you are close to has been the victim of negligence or abuse in an Illinois assisted living facility, contact Schwartz Injury Law to get the help you need. Call our office today at 312-535-4625 for a free consultation with an experienced Cook County assisted living abuse and neglect attorney.

Sources:

https://www.seniorliving.org/compare/assisted-living-vs-nursing-home/

https://www.napsa-now.org/get-informed/exploitation-resources/